ISLAM

DAUGHTERS Otf EVE 89
tion of polygamy by law has led Christians to many
evils, which are specially prevalent in Christian
society against which polygamy has proved
a very efficacious :
remedy
"It may be added here that polygamy
to be
in Islam
is both in theory and in practice an exception
and not a rule, and as an exception it is a
remedy for many of the evils specially prevalent
in European society. It is not only the
preponderance of females over males that
necessitates polygamy in certain cases, but
there is a variety of other circumstances which
require polygamy to be adopted under exceptional
circumstances not only for the moral but
also for the physical welfare of society.
Prostitution,
the great evil of civilisation, which is a real
canker with its concomitant increase of bastardy,
is practically unknown to countries where polygamy
is allowed as a remedial measure."
The truth of this opinion is sufficiently testified
by the Report of the Registrar-General for England
in his 27th Report "Out of 4000 children whose births
:
are registered in England, 65 are illegitimate; out
of 1,000 registered in Scotland, 89 are illegitimate
{1856:60) the proportion of bastards in an equal
number of children of the two countries is as 3 in
England to 4 in Scotland. This is to be accounted
for by the difference in the law of the countries ;
in
Scotland, subsequent marriage legitimizes all preceding
children. Hence, there are many quasi-mar-